Sivaranjini Murugan, 20, of Maricopa won the National American Miss Arizona title earlier this month, according to InMaricopa. She will represent Arizona at the national competition on Thanksgiving.
Murugan graduated from Maricopa High School in 2023 and is currently attending Central Arizona College while working through a transfer year toward a university. She also said she is pursuing a secondary education teaching degree.
In her third year competing, Murugan said she first tried pageants in 2024 after receiving an anonymous postcard in the mail and following up on an open call interview. She said the experience has given her a chance to meet confident and ambitious women.
Murugan said her biggest accomplishment so far has been completing 500 hours of community service while balancing school and a job as a teacher aide at Desert Wind Middle School for the past year. She said pageants involve much more than appearance and require interviews, preparation and the ability to speak for yourself.
Asked about being crowned, Murugan said she was shocked and needed time to fully realize what had happened. She said she felt especially surprised by the age range in the Miss division, which is for competitors ages 19 to 25, and was thankful for the opportunity.
